Tireseus: Sins Of The Past
by ShadowOfApate
Summary: Third In The Series.


Series: Tireseus   
Title: Sins of the Body  
Chapter: Prologue  
Rating: R   
Pairing: Willow/Buffy, Willow/Oz  
Spoilers: Anything is up for grabs.  
Timeline: This is probably around season three. It takes   
place during school year after the cycle.  
Beta Readers: Scotty Welles  
Shadow Mage Dark Gremlin

Summary: A spell sends Willow's life spiraling out of control, and  
no matter what she does things only get more and more complicated.

Disclaimer: So not mine

  
PROLOGUE  


" Tell me why I agreed to this again."

Cordy smirked over at him as she pushed the rickety old door open, and confidently waltzed inside the condemned mansion. " Because Buffy isn't talking to you at the moment, and I'm your only female   
friend."

He snorted softly and followed the cheerleader into the old house. Over the last four months they'd   
become friends, actually taking the time to get to know each other, a task that they'd never bothered with before. " Great." 

" Oh please, if we don't do this then Harmony will have the others thinking I'm a coward."

" And we can't have that." He muttered as he walked through the once majestic rooms. The walls were aged and cracked, towering above his head to the slowly collapsing roof. The floor beneath him sagged under his weight, snapping as it started to break. " Look, I understand that you need someone to take the picture. But why do you need me to be Will?"

Cordy rolled her eyes in her infamous, ' well duh ' look. " Because if you're in the picture with me, then Harmony won't only have no reason to call me a coward, but it will make her think we're dating."

" Why on earth do they like me like this?"

" Simple. The qualities that makes Willow a geek, makes you cute." Cordy beamed at him, " Plus with the clothes I picked out you're also styling." 

He passed by his new found friend and moved towards the back of the house. He could see faded red splotches on the walls, floors, and ceilings. It hadn't been as noticeable at the front end of the mansion, but it became hard to miss as he made his way towards the back.

" No wonder the town thinks this place is haunted."

He jumped slightly when Cordy grabbed onto his arm nervously, " Let's take that picture and get out of here."

He nodded mutely in agreement, hating the vibes he was getting off the house. He placed the camera on the kitchen counter, and turned the timer to five seconds. He ran over to stand beside Cordy. The camera buzzed softly, and clicked, the flash flaring briefly.

" Let's get out of here." Cordy grabbed the camera and rushed out of the blood stained kitchen.

He started to follow her, his feet refusing to go any faster than a slow walk, and even that was a struggle for him. He gasped harshly, and turned back to the wall were they'd been standing a moment before. The long crack in the heavily bricked wall grew wider, cracking loudly in the confines of the room. 

The voice in his head screamed at him to run, to get the hell out of there before it was to late. He numbly ignored it, dismissing the sound of Cordy coming back ordering him to follow her. He reached out and touched the burning hot brick, his body wanting to jerk back. 

" Will?"

The crack grew wider, the bricks shaking dangerously, dust falling around him. He felt himself being   
pulled away, but something kept him there.

" Willow!! Come on..."

He sucked in a harsh breath as the wall exploded outward. He spun and wrapped his body around  
Cordy's, slamming her to the floor in a heap. He tensed as the layers of brick and cement, and rock hit him all over his body. Pain shot through his body leaving him gasping and dizzy. He felt himself being rolled onto his back, and tried to move.

His eyes closed on it's own in the black cloud surrounding him. He heard a voice calling him in the   
distance, and tried to respond. His mind floated in a black fog, strangling him, making it hard to think. He heard a siren, and voices talking over him.

A pressure around his nose and mouth made it easier to breath. Hands lifted him, and he was moving. He yelled out in his mind, sending useless commands to his body. More voices spoke over him, Cordy was there, telling him it was alright.

The fog became heavier, like a snake coiling up in his chest. He struggled against it, trying to push it out as he felt himself being lifted again, but it struck out. The pain squeezed his mind in silent intensity until everything around him faded away...

" So?"

She sighed heavily as her mother trapped her in the living room with no hope of escape. " So what?"

" Have you talked to Willow yet?"

A flare of jealousy slapped her across the face. Four months her best friend had become cozy with  
Cordy, even their normal jibs were more teasing then anything now. " I haven't had time."

" She was going to tell you."

Buffy shut her eyes against the memory of their bodies intertwined. The way they moved together so  
perfectly, their hands... " Well she didn't." But she tried and she knew it. That night in the library that was what Will was going to tell her.

" Is that what's really bothering you?"

She curled up against her mother on the sofa, and tried to hold back her tears. " It was Willow all along, and I didn't know. I should've known, I should've known it was my best friend."

" Do you remember when you used to watch that ridiculous show? Uh, Superman?"

" Lois and Clark." She mumbled.

" Well, you remember how I used to sit here and ask how Lois couldn't know that Clark was superman, and you'd say..."

" The most obvious answers are always over looked."

" When Willow became William, you had no reason to suspect anything. Is that all that's bothering  
you?"

Buffy blushed deeply and looked away. " Does...does this mean I'm...gay?"

" Only you can answer that." Joyce used her fingers to make her look at her. " What are your feelings  
for Willow?"

" I... When I was with William it was like a piece of my soul that I didn't even know I was missing was suddenly returned to me."

" And Willow?"

" I... I can't get her out of my mind. Every time I see her I see William in her, and I want to curl up in her arms and let her protect me. I want to yell at Cordy for taking her away from me, I want to... I want to love her."

" It sounds to me like you know what you want."

Buffy wiped at her wet eyes, " I can't."

Joyce patted her knee with a smile as she stood up, " You can, when you're ready. Just don't wait to  
long, or you might lose her."

Buffy let the tension run from her body, and stood up to go patrol. The sooner she worked off some of her feelings the better. In the kitchen she heard the phone ring, and her mother talking softly. Thinking that it might be that guy her mother had been dating on and off for the last month, she grabbed her leather jacket from the closet.

" I'm going!!"

" Buffy, wait!" Joyce exited the kitchen looking pale.

" What's wrong?"

" It's Willow..."

" Will?"

He groaned around the heaviness in his chest, unconscientiously turning his head into the soft hand   
stroking his face. " Did someone get the license plate of the semi that hit me?"

" I know that it was being driven by Cordy." The voice replied dryly.

He laughed painfully, wincing at the pain it caused. Blinking carefully, he pried his eyes open.

" Hey." Buffy whispered, " I was starting to worry."

He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side, closing his eyes as the room began to spin. The stretcher dipped, and he cautiously reopened his eyes.

" I thought you weren't talking to me."

Buffy scooted close to him, leaning into his side. " I just needed some time to work things out."

" Have you?"

" Not yet."

He tensed ready for the rejection he was about to get. " It's alright I understand..."

" I do care about you, but I just can't do this." Buffy looked over at him wearily, " I miss my best friend."

" I never left." He said simply

Buffy seemed to relax, and awkwardly hugged him. " Come on, let's get you home."

He stared at the hand held out to him, " I'll be there in a minute." He swallowed back the urge to cry,  
telling himself that he just had to make it home. Then he could let the despair take over.

Chapter: One 

  
CHAPTER ONE  


She walked into the school in a haze of her former self, the black fog in her chest weighting down on her in ways she didn't want to think about. Jenny had noticed something was off the minute she'd seen her but hadn't been able to place it. When her mentor had asked she's tried to get the words out to tell her but the fog had stopped her.

" Well well well, if it isn't the poster girl for good will."

She looked over at the group of cheerleaders hanging on to a couple of foot ball players. Truity smirked, circling her like a vulture going in for the kill.

" Maybe we should start a fund raiser." The black haired cheerleader snapped the t-shirt she was  
wearing under her denim jumper. " The help Willow's fashion fund."

/ It would be so easy to kill her. Just one little snap and her neck would be broken. Then who'd have the last laugh./

' No, I won't let you. ' She closed her eyes at the grating inner voice of the fog wrapped around her heart. It's deep drilling sound sending shivers through her spine.

/ Really, and just how will you accomplish that? I'm older than this world, and there's only one way I can die./

" Leave her alone." A young man with dyed hair interrupted.

" Oh, does the musician have a crush?"

The shy young man shrugged casually, " What can I say, I've always had a weakness for sexy red  
heads." He glanced over at her and blushed slightly under her gaze, offering his arm. " Shall we?" 

She nodded stunned at his appreciative, love struck gaze. Unsure she hooked her arm through his and let him lead her away. " Thank you."

The shorter man stopped and gave her the cutest half smile she'd ever seen. " I'm afraid I had alterer   
motive."

" W-what?"

" I'd been looking for a reason to meet you since I saw you at the bronze last month."

She melted under the shy puppy dog look on his face, her heart leaping against her chest. " Wow. I...  
Are you sure you have the right person? I mean, I'm not exactly popular. Heck, I'm not even considered semi popular, o-or beautiful. I'm just...Willow."

" I like just Willow. A lot." 

Any doubt she had about the man before her faded away at the blush that consumed him. " Oh I'm  
Willow by the way." 

" Oz." He shifted slightly and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. " Would you go out with me?"

" L-like a date?"

He nodded, " I thought we could go out to dinner and to the bronze."

" That would be nice."

She stared at him for a long moment, and quickly kissed his cheek. Horrified by her actions she speeded down the hall, only looking back when she was safely at the corner to the sports area. What she saw made her heart flutter even more.

Oz had his left hand against his cheek with a dreamy look on his face. The older teenager didn't even  
react as the warning bell rang. Even more embarrassed she ducked down the hall and into the locker room for gym class.

Truity bumped into the geeky red head and pushed her way into the swimming pool. Impatiently she  
kicked her foot into the water, spraying the pale skinned nerd. She hated the computer genius, always being so nice to everyone. God, what was with all that anyway? 

She scanned the room for the gym teacher, finally catching sight of his gorgeous body inside the office through the floor length window. He was on the phone talking to someone, probably that slut he was dating. Well, he wouldn't be for long, if she had anything to do with it.

Her friends were standing against the wall gossiping like always, totally clueless. She kicked her foot  
through the water again, checking to make sure her swim cap was covering her hair. After all, she  
wouldn't want to ruin it with that chlorine. 

She dived into the pool, ignoring Harmony's protest otherwise. The thick water, was refreshing against her skin, making her mind relax in the watery haze. She swam deeper into the water, loving the burning in her lungs. She let some of the air out of her mouth and ran her hands over the bottom of the pool.

She closed her eyes and rested her feet on the bottom, using her arms to keep her in place. A loud  
vibration shot through the surrounding water, bringing her back. She jerked her head back and stared up in horror as the fiberglass pool covers began to close.

She pushed hard off the floor and swam upwards, slamming into the closing cover. Stars danced in front of her eyes as she started to race the cover across to the other side. Gritting her teeth to keep her lungs from involuntarily trying to breath.

Her hand slammed into the opposite side and she screamed into the water as the cover locked closed.

" GET IT OPEN!!!"

Willow watched in a fog as the coach slapped his hand on the cover control over and over to no eviel. Cordy had grabbed one of the scuba diving tanks, slamming it down on the cover. A small crack appeared as Amy grabbed another tank and joined her. Together they pounded on the cover in the panicked atmosphere.

She numbly approached the side of the pool, staring down through the clear cover, at Truity. The   
cheerleader's wide eyes stared up at her, while her body convulsed. The swim cap that the black haired teenager had come off, leaving her hair floating around her.

/ So easy.../

" The phone's aren't working!"

The coach spun around to the hysterical Harmony, " Then run to the office. GO!"

He ran into his office and grabbed the softball bat standing in the corner. He moved to Cordy and Amy, beginning to hammer into the growing crack.

She swallowed as Truity convulsed once more, a swirl of glee wrapping around the fog in her mind.  
Lifeless eyes stared up at her accusingly, and she stepped back, feeling increasingly sick as the fog  
retreated into her chest.

She raced out into the hallway and punched her fist through the fire box. Ignoring the pain, and the fire alarm now blaring through the school, she grabbed the heavy ax. She moved in a blur to the cover, and started to take her anger and helplessness out on the cover. The ax slicing through the air and into the fiberglass cover until the crack became a softball sized hole.

The sirens approaching the school made her work harder through the tears on her face. She felt the  
cover begin to crumble under the now weakened hole, and slammed the ax into the side, making the hole web out. She slammed it into the web and watched as it fell away.

She ignored the others, dropping the ax and squeezing through the hole, barely big enough for her to  
get through. She reached over and latched onto Truity's arm. With singular determination she moved the body to the now larger hole, and into the waiting arms of Cordy.

She waited until the cheerleader had cleared the hole, then came up, gasping for breath. The burning in her chest seemed worse as she pulled herself out of the pool, and watched as the coach searched for a pulse. The tight shake of sadness, angered her.

" That's it?!"

The coach looked up at her through his own guilt. " She's been under for to long."

She shook her head in denial and fell to her knees. Rolling the girl onto her stomach she pushed down over and over, as water spewed from her lungs.

" Willow..."

She glared at the coach, and rolled Truity onto her back, tipping the cheerleaders head back. She  
pinched her nose and bent over breathing into her mouth. When she sat up to start chest compressions she found Cordy already in position, counting out loud as she pressed on the cheerleaders heart.

Settling into the easy rhythm, they worked together, in a hopeless silence. With every minute that went by the sirens grew closer, and they lost hope. Finally even Cordy gave up, moving back from the body. She took over chest compressions angrily, cursing the body before her.

" Willow..." 

" NO!"

She finally stopped and slammed her fist one last time onto the cheerleaders chest. Truity curled up,   
coughing hard against the deck. The doors banged open, drawing her attention to the two paramedics racing in with a number of firefighters behind them.

" Now they arrive." Cordy threw her hands up in exasperation, then smiled down at her.

She slowly stood up and walked away from the gathered class unnoticed. Slipping into the locker room she leaned back into the lockers, and slide down to the ground.

/ You should have stayed out of the way./

' Why? So she would die? '

/ Oh she'll die alright, you've just drawn out her pain./

' What did she ever do to you? '

/ You are me, or haven't you noticed yet?/

' No! '

/ Yes, we are one, and we will be for a long time./ 

Willow dropped her head into her hands, for once with no one to turn to.

Cordy followed the last paramedic out of the school, watching as the ambulance pulled away. A loud  
shot rang out as the front tire popped, causing the vehicle still picking up speed to swerve. The  
ambulance rammed into the fire truck still parked on the street, the entire front folding in with a sickening crunch.

She turned away and emptied her stomach into the bushes, unable to get the image of blood flowing out onto the street from her mind. She stood back up, glancing over at the fire truck. A dark pool was gathering under it, and running underneath the ambulance.

A man walking by was sprinting towards the wreckage, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his  
mouth. Something in her mind clicked, and she felt her arms waving him back. " NO!!" 

She threw herself into the corner of the front doors, covering her head as white heat and debris  
blanketed the air. She turned back as she heard one of the doors open. Willow stood in the far doorway just staring blankly at the burning vehicles.

She moved towards the girl, she had come to call a friend, her heart going out to her. For her to bring the cheerleader back to life only for a car accident to take it a few minutes later must've been hornedness for her. As she touched Willow's skin, she yanked her hand away, staring down at the blisters appearing on her fingers.

" Wha...?"

Willow ignored her and went back into the school. The emotionless mask on her face scaring Cordy  
worse than she would ever admit.

Chapter: Two

  
CHAPTER TWO  


Willow wearily watched the short, bald man stalk in front of her, and  
that was the only way she knew how to describe it: stalking.

Snyder spun in front of her, glaring through his beady eyes at her. "I  
know about the fight you two had this morning. I also know that you  
were near the switch. So why don't you save us all the trouble and  
just confess?"

"B-but I helped save her..." She sniffed, determined not to cry. 

"Probably to take the suspicion away from you." Snyder leaned towards  
her, placing his hands on the arms of the chair she was sitting in. "I  
always knew that your hanging out with that Summers girl would get you  
into trouble, and now you are."

The door opened behind him, and Snyder snapped his head around to the  
detective entering the office, a smug smile crossing his face. He  
glanced back down at her. "You know why he's here? Because he has  
proof that it was you, and he's going to arrest you..."

"Uh, actually it isn't."

She looked over at the elder detective who was currently glaring  
daggers at Snyder. The laid-back man smiled kindly at her, totally  
ignoring the steaming principal.

"I'm sorry about this, Miss Rosenburg. It seems that my young partner  
and your...principal decided to jump the gun, so to speak. I assure  
you both of them will be dealt with."

"She's guilty. She was seen fighting with the young woman less than an  
hour before she was killed."

The detective raised his eyebrows, looking him over. "As I heard it,  
the young woman was seen insulting her while she just stood there.  
Now, I suppose that might have been because she building up her anger  
until it was time to act, but then I hardly think she'd have tried so  
hard to pull the other girl out of the pool. And if you can find a way  
to show that Miss Rosenberg somehow caused an auto accident just   
minutes later, I'm all ears." The salt-and-peppered haired man turned  
back to her, brushing off the red-faced Snyder. "As I was saying, I  
had one of our CSI's look over the controls. According to him, the  
wires are faulty. A surge triggered the cover, and they were fried."

Snyder paled sickly. "No, that's impossible. I had the janitor repair  
it the other day." 

"Apparently not. Sir. We'll speak with the janitor, just to be  
certain. In the meantime, I'll tell you the same thing I'll tell him."  
The detective stepped towards Snyder, towering over the principal. "I  
wouldn't leave town. The chief will want to talk to you."

"B-b-but..."

"Miss Rosenberg, I think you can go now, if you like," the detective   
said kindly. "We know where to reach you if we have any further  
questions, and I'm sure you'll want some time to recover from this  
whole ordeal."

Willow slid gratefully out of her chair and past the two men. She did  
not want to be anywhere near the office when Snyder blew, and she had  
no doubt that he would. The rat always shifted blame to someone else,  
never taking any guilt in mistakes he made.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, meeting her in the hallway.

"Yeah, we heard about what happened." Xander scowled towards Snyder's  
office. "Bastard. Probably responsible for the whole thing himself." 

She dropped her gaze, not wanting to look into the concerned faces of  
her friends. It was her fault it happened, she knew. She killed  
Truity, and yet here they were ready to back her up with no question's  
asked. "Maybe I should just go on home." 

"I'll go with you." Buffy grabbed her arm, and began to pull her away  
from Xander. "How are you? Really?" 

"Numb," she answered honestly. "I keep thinking that there was  
something I could have done." 

"Hey, you saved her."

"But..." 

Buffy shook her head. "No. The accident was not your fault, you did  
what you could. You saved her, then left her to people who were  
supposed to keep her alive. Their failing to do that is has nothing to  
do with you."

'But it does.' 

/ And it will. /

"Hey! Bitch!"

She looked over at the football player charging towards her. "Oh   
boy..."

"Yeah, you." Justin came to a halt in front of them, blocking their  
path to the front doors. "Fucking murderer, why haven't you been  
arrested?" 

Buffy stepped in front of her, glaring up at the man that was ten times  
her size. "She had nothing to do with it." 

"The fuck she didn't! I was outside the office when they pulled her  
in. I know everything. Truity humiliated her in front of the school,  
so she killed her."

"Mr. Stevens. Is there a problem here?" Everyone froze as Snyder   
pushed Justin back. The principal didn't appear to be in a good mood -  
even for him - after his being overruled by the police detective. He  
was obviously looking for someone to take it out on, and the football  
player was the biggest, loudest target that came to hand.

"Yeah, why is she still here?" 

Snyder glared at her, causing her to duck behind the Slayer. "It seems  
Miss Wilson's accident was just that, an accident. In fact, I was just  
looking for you. Mr. Jenkins needs you to help fix the controls."

Justin snorted and slammed into Willow before continuing down the hall.  
She huddled closer to Buffy as the blonde girl led her out of the  
school, and away from the gathered students. The fog danced around her  
head, causing her to moan in protest.

She heard Buffy whispering reassuringly to her, and tried to warn her.  
But the words wouldn't come.

Justin entered the empty pool area, anger still simmering under the  
surface. He walked over to the wall and stared in surprise at the  
gaping hole of burnt wiring. He'd taken enough shop to recognize  
worn-out cabling when he saw it.

'I guess she was innocent after all.' He sighed, realizing that once   
again his anger had taken over his mouth. 'Damn, I'm going to have to  
apologize, or not.'

He squatted down to the tools scattered around him, and ran his hand  
over the electric screwdriver. He held the tool in his hand, trying to  
calm himself.

Absently he turned on the tool. His hand lifted and turned it towards  
his chest.

He opened his mouth in a silent scream as the bit ripped into his  
chest, and through into his heart. Blood pounding in his ears, slowed  
as darkness engulfed him...

She stared out of the window, the fog retreating in her mind. She felt  
the blood on her hands, the darkness engulfing Justin as he died. The  
doorbell rang, breaking her silent trial of guilt. She turned back to  
her vigilant thoughts while Buffy answered the door for her.

"...right now. Maybe you should could come back tomorrow."

"I was supposed to take her out..."

She slowly approached the front door, where Buffy was standing off with  
Oz. "Hi, Oz. I'm sorry I forgot about..."

He nodded. "I understand, I wasn't really expecting you to go out  
after today. I just wanted to check on you."

The guilt eased a little under his concerned gaze. "I'm fine, just  
tired." 

"Understandable."

She blushed slightly. "Listen, would you mind if we just went  
somewhere to talk instead?"

"I'd like that." Oz looked over at Buffy, and started to walk  
backwards. "I'll just wait in the van."

She felt Buffy's eyes drilling into her as she grabbed her keys and the  
small bag that she carried her vampire repellents in. "I don't think  
you should go out right now," Buffy cautioned her.

"You said yourself that I should get out more often." She tried to  
walk around the Slayer blocking the door.

"Yes, but not after something as traumatic as what happened today, and  
definitely not with some stranger! With everything that goes on in  
Sunnydale, I'd think you'd know better."

She glared at her friend. "I know that you don't love me like that,  
and I also know that I need to get on with my life."

Buffy rubbed her forehead. "Wills, this isn't about what happened  
between me and William..."

"Between you and me!" she shot back. "That's the entire point, Buffy,  
you don't want to admit that there was something...!" She cut herself  
off. "Fuck it, I'm going out, whatever you say." She angrily pushed  
past her friend. "Lock the door when you leave." 

/ Oh yes, let's go out... /

She shivered and climbed into the van, smiling shyly at the senior  
beside her. Maybe things weren't so bad after all.

She yawned into the lean shoulder under her head, and snuggled closer,  
watching the water gently lapping at the sand. "I wish I'd brought my  
bathing suit."

"Why do we need them?"

She looked up at Oz and grinned wickedly. "Nope, rule number one: no  
skinny dipping on the first date."

"There's going to be another date?" 

"If you want to, I mean, I understand if you don't want to, though."

"I want." Oz gently kissed her, muttering into her mouth. "Any other  
rules?"

"I'll get back to you on that."

"Good, then I won't get into trouble when I do this..." He hopped to  
his feet, and swept her up into his surprisingly strong arms.

She screamed as he raced down into the water, submerging them both,  
fully clothed. She broke through the surface and wrapped her arms  
around him. "Oh, so it's going to be like that, huh?"

"And what if it is?" he teased.

"Then I'll have to do this." She pulled him back under the water with  
her, and opened her eyes, taking in the cute, lean teenager in her  
arms. 

She felt the familiar burn in her lungs as he swam back to the surface.  
She turned down and swam deeper, latching onto a rock at the bottom.

She felt the fog slamming against her chest, and felt it burst from her  
mouth. The black fog surrounded her body in the water, and then pulled  
away and drifted up towards Oz...

'It needs a host,' she realized, in a moment of clarity. And,  
underwater, she couldn't possibly call a warning to him. 'Oh goddess,  
Oz.'

There was only one way to save him from it. By taking it back into  
herself.

She swam upwards, over taking the fog, opening her mouth. The fog  
seemed to pause, then pushed itself violently down her throat.  
Clamping her jaws shut, she felt firm hands grab her and pull her to  
the surface.

"Are you okay?" Oz asked. "You were down there pretty long."

She gasped and nodded to him. "Yeah, I was just exploring the bottom.  
Because it's interesting, but since I was exploring I guess it would  
have to be, not that you're not interesting. You are, and if you  
weren't thinking that before then I apolog..."

She sighed into his mouth, her body melding into his. She could worry  
later, about the fog, Buffy, Cordy, everything else. Right now, she  
just wanted to enjoy life.

Chapter: Three

  
CHAPTER THREE  


Willow sat back in her chair, staring at the books scattered around her. She'd spent the entire morning, searching through the history of Sunnydale before finally finding what she was looking for. The papers slipped through her fingers as the fear inside herself deepened.

The mansion had once been the talk of the town, only the highest of the high society could even  
approach the majestic building. The family that owned it had come from a long line of royalty, tracing  
back to early England.

The Carets had lain a whole new set of do's and don'ts. Their dinner parties were the highlight of every month, involving politicians, Shakespearean actors, and over paid doctors. The horseless carriage's would line up for blocks and blocks just to get in, sometimes guest not even making it to the door before the party ended.

The youthful couple, Claire and Gregory, were atmosphere it's self. Walking into the room, their mere presence would send the lowest roach running for cover. Their soulless eyes raking over each person with a bored dismissal. 

Their children, Christine, Joseph, and Gabrielle, were even worse. The three son's would scare the  
religion out of anybody they met, no matter how briefly. Their dark black eyes were emotionless, except the few times that a hint of satanic humor would escape their masks.

Christine had been known for his strong quiet. He had no problem getting girlfriends, keeping them was the trouble. It took him almost all of his twenty eight years to finally get engaged. His fiancée could have been his twin. The dark black eyes holding the same ill harm.

Joseph was lighter, his blazing red hair, setting off his sharply angled face and tall lean body. He tended to stay away from women, taking an almost obsessive interest in Jacob. The families grounds keeper. The twenty year old had managed to convince the younger man that a relationship was preferable.

The last son, Gabrielle, was short and stout. His ungainly face, making it hard for him to leave the house. During his fifteenth birthday, he'd confessed his hidden feeling's to his best friend. Emily had slapped him, screaming in horror at the idea of being anything more to him.

The younger sibling had taken it hard. Going out to the barn, and returning with a chain saw. The   
following massacre had killed twenty three friends and family. Soaking the house in blood, until the  
walls, floors, and ceiling's were painted red.

The police spent the next week searching for the teenager, only to find what was left of his body in the old mill. Blood and flesh had been ground into a fine grain, leaving nothing to identify him with. Later, the police had connected him to a number of accidental deaths over the previous year. Including that of his grandmother.

" Willow."

" AHHH!" She leaped from the table, swerving around to face...Giles. " Don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack. Sheesh."

The watcher shifted uncomfortably, " Ah, well yes, I apologize. However, I was curious as to what you were doing in here."

" I was researching."

" I see, and may I ask what was so important that you felt you should miss class?"

She shifted, and looked down at her feet. " I don't think that Justin and Truity's deaths are as accidental as everyone thinks."

" Why do you think that?" 

" I'd rather not say." Willow looked up at him sadly, " Please Giles, I know you don't like to jump to   
conclusions, but I swear to you, I know that this isn't just fate."

Giles sighed and nodded, " Very well, let's get to work then." He picked up the book she'd been reading before he'd entered the room. " The Caret's?"

Willow ducked her head under his intense stare, " I think we may have released something when that  
wall caved in."

" Oh dear." He took his glasses off and began to clean them, " Are you sure?"

" Y-yeah."

" Then we're in even worse trouble than you thought."

She clenched her fist holding back the panic she felt, " Why?" 

" The Carets family line are the single descendants of Lucifer. Gabrielle's face and bodily feature's were a result of that heritage. Naturally they were part demon, and as such inherited strong magical ability. The entity, Aztarin, was around long before Lucifer's fall from heaven. The Vatican removed the section of the bible that explained Aztarin's being the original first evil. Aztarin can only function in a host, the only other way it can exist is in a enclosed area that's had the Breath of Satan performed on it. The draw back of having a host, is that it is limited by the hosts abilities and mortality. In fact, as far as the story goes the only way Aztarin can die is if it's host dies while it's still occupying them."

" So he can take anyone as a host?"

" No, of course not, only relatives of the Carets."

Willow swallowed hard, not liking where this was heading. " But they died when Gabrielle... went  
homicidal."

" Actually, that's not true. The brother...What's his name again?...Joseph. That's it. There's a watcher's diary...now what volume was it..." Giles turned to walk into his office, ignoring her. " He was in New York on the day of the mass murder, and when he received the news, he disappeared. It's believed that he changed his name, and began a family without the more satanic aspects."

Willow stood by the table unable to understand what was happening. It wasn't supposed to be like this. None of it was. She was supposed to be the class geek, that cared to much about the people around her, even the few that she actually disliked. She was supposed to marry Xander when he finally matured, and they were supposed to have a happy little family. Not...

She numbly walked to the back of the library and out the back exit, having decided that whatever was happening, she needed to do some research. 

Lily strutted out of the school, adding extra sway to her hips as she passed several of the star players. Like always the parking lot was empty except for the few who had permission to leave the campus. Flicking her long hair back over her shoulder, she ignored the red head geek, and walked towards her convertible.

She smirked over at the gaping football player, she cranked the engine, and nothing happened. Hitting the steering wheel she tried again, wincing at the dry scrapping.

" Oh that can not be good."

She climbed back out of her new car, and popped the hood. Even a non mechanic like her could see  
what the problem was. She leaned over, her hair draping down around her head, as she reached down into the motor to pop the tube thingy back in place. 

The rubber tube slide back into place, and the car roared to life. The fan caught a large chunk of her hair and she yelled in pain, pulling back away. Tears spilled over her cheeks as the fan pulled her closer and closer, her hand flailed out, and the pain intensified in an arc of blood.

She gave way to the blessed unconscious, falling to the boiling motor.

The attic was a collection of dusty boxes, trunks and books. Leaving her in the monstrous size with little clue as to what she was looking for. Each box, trunk, rubber maid container, was marked clearly. Business papers, taxes, pictures, home movies...

She paused as she saw the giant black and gold trunk, that looked as though it had been around since the sixteen hundreds. She kneeled in front of it, seeing no marking's, or clues as to what it was. Mumbling under her breath the locks clicked open, and she lifted the lid.

Inside, were pictures of the her father's family. She shifted through them, looking on the back absently. Rosenberg, Rosenberg, Rosenberg, Caret... She froze and flipped the picture over, staring into the deep emerald eyes of Joseph Caret.

She dropped the pictures back into the trunk, and sifted through it. There were family books, written by the Carets, Joseph's diary, and an old hand written spell book. She opened the spell book, scanning through it faster than she liked. The spells seemed to be from the original book of shadows, given to the family by Lucifer, but they had been rewritten for the light.

She stopped on the page talking about Aztarin.

Buffy entered the library, still green from the seen out in the parking lot. Jeffrey Matters, had found his sister laying over the idling motor, the surrounding air filled with the smell of burning flesh and blood. She'd seen for herself the shredded stump where her hand had once been, and her head...

She swallowed, pushing away the gruesome scene. " Did you hear about Lily Matters?"

Giles glanced up briefly from the stack of books around him, " I'm afraid so, shameful business."

" It's the third accident in the last two days."

" They weren't accidents." Giles leaned back, giving her a view of the dark circles under his eyes. " It  
seems that when the wall caved in over Cordelia and Willow, it released an ancient evil." 

" Great, so how do I kill it?"

" It's not that simply. Aztarin is not a physical being, but needs a host, which is human or mostly human at any rate. The point is, that we need to move fast if we want to stop him before anymore murders. However, we still need to identify the host, and I've already asked Jen... Miss. Calendar to look up the Breath of Satan so that we'll be ready."

" Great, we'll just get my witch girl to help us and we'll be all sat."

" I believe Willow went home." Giles went back to the book he was reading.

Buffy stared at him. If Willow knew about this then why would she go home? The wiccan she loved  
would never stop until everyone was out of danger. The very idea that she would go home leaving this half done was beyond disbelief.

" I'm going to go check on her." She called as she charged out of the library, wondering if he'd even   
heard her.

Chapter: Four  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  


The ocean based wind soothed her tense muscles, leaving her mind  
completely worried and alert. It had been three hours, and Willow  
hadn't come home once. The Slayer in her wanted to go out and search  
the town again, but the best friend in her wanted to continue sitting  
on the porch in waiting until either Jenny or Willow got back.

The woman she lov... Her best friend had her in a panic of worry. The  
last few days had been incredibly hard on her, and it only seemed to be  
getting worse.

The murders in particular were gruesome and useless. The only  
connection between the victims was that they were popular and loved to  
pick on anybody that breathed wrong. Which in her opinion narrowed the   
possible list of suspects down by five, if even that much. The entire  
school hated them, even their so-called 'friends'.

"What are you doing here?" Willow's voice broke into her reverie. "Not   
that I don't want you here, because I do. I just mean, why here   
instead of the Bronze or the library or even your house..." 

She looked up at her best friend, and searched for any sign that she  
was hurt. "I was worried."

The look of horror on Willow's face set off her 'Spidey Senses'. The  
witch seemed to get control over herself and shut off her emotions. Or   
most of them. She could see the nervous way she was shifting her eyes.

"Worried? Nope, nothing to be worried about. I'm fine, perfectly  
totally 100 percent fine. Yep, that's me. Fine Willow. Well, fine as  
in good, not fine as in 'oh she's so fine'."

Okay, now she knew something was seriously wrong. The question was  
what. "In that case, why don't we head over to the Bronze?" Where I  
can keep an eye on you. 

"I'm really tired." Willow forced a yawn. "See? Tired. I should go  
to bed. Right now, in fact."

"Oh. I-I was really hoping we could use the time to reconnect." She   
ducked her head and watched Willow melt out of the corner of her eye.  
"After everything's that happened, I'd hoped we could try and move past  
it."

"All right. Just let me put my stuff in my room."

She stood up and followed the redhead inside. Something about her  
friend was sending her inner alarm into overload. Even the way her  
friend was holding herself was off. She stopped at the bottom of the  
steps and watched her friend go into her room, then silently followed.

Angling her body, she saw her friend removing an old-looking dark brown  
leather book. Willow bent over and slid it under her mattress.  
Backing away, she went back downstairs in deep thought. What was that  
book? Why was Willow hiding it? She had no idea, but she was going to  
find out.

The burning, pulsing bodies gyrated into each other. The strobing  
lights forced the throbbing heavy fog in her mind to blind her need to  
stop the events unfolding around her. The only anchor holding her in  
place stood firmly beside her. The blonde Slayer casting futile  
glances at her, trying to discern what was going on.

She cast her emerald eyes over the mob of hormonal teenagers, pausing  
on the short, dyed-haired male moving towards her. His blazing, shy  
eyes met hers in a spark of heat that she'd only felt in Buffy's arms.  
A shy smile met him, as he stopped in front of her, blushing slightly.

"Willow I..." 

"Can we talk?" she interrupted

He blinked and nodded, carefully controlling his emotions. "Sure." 

Willow ignored the flare in Buffy's eyes, the way the Slayer's body  
tensed, the red that crept onto her neck, the promise of death that was  
on her face as she scowled at Oz. Pushing her way through the crowds,  
she led him outside, careful to stay close to the door.

"Is something wrong?" 

"Yes. I haven't been telling you the truth."

Oz didn't seem to be to affected as he shrugged nonchalantly. "About   
what?" 

"Vampiresarereal,I'mbothaguyandagirl,andIknowitsoundscrazy,butIreallylikeyouandwanttocontinuedatingyou." 

Oz blinked once, twice, and a third time. "Okay," he said.

"Okay?!" she repeated. "I just dumped a shitload of weirdness on you,  
and that's your big reaction?" 

"Hey, it's all a matter of perspective," he said with a sheepish grin.  
"Vampires are real, Brittany Spears is still popular. Life is scary  
all over." He leaned closer. "As long as that last one still applies,  
I'm happy. I really like you, too."

Willow felt herself grinning broadly, almost blushing with relief.  
"Umm, don't you want to know about me being both a guy and a girl?"

"Okay, that one kinda confused me," he admitted. "What did you mean?   
Is it some kinda medical condition, like you're a hermaphrodite or  
something?"

"Uhh, not exactly..." She sighed. "There's magic involved, long  
story. Short version is that I can shift between a male form and a  
female form. I'd show you, but I don't want to freak you out. You're  
not into guys, are you?"

"Not really." Oz smiled again, showing the first sign of emotion that  
week. "So you can change into another body, huh? Like a werewolf?"

"Well, I don't scratch myself with my feet or howl at the moon, but  
yeah, I suppose you could..." She paused when he didn't smile at her   
joke. "What's the matter?"

He looked embarrassed. "I'm a werewolf," he said, matter-of-factly. 

"Oh." His admission surprised her, but she took it in easily enough.  
She'd been through too much craziness in her life not to.

"I'm not dangerous," he assured her. "I've got it under control."

"Okay," she said, adjusting to this new revelation about her friend.   
"Well...nobody's perfect."

That made him laugh, lighting up his face. "Make a hell of a couple,  
don't we?" 

"Yeah," she teased, laughing along. "We could switch forms and pass  
for a boy and his dog."

Oz made another joke in response to that, but she didn't hear it... 

She gasped as the heavy fog engulfed her, reaching out. She felt the  
feel of smooth skin, the smell of expensive perfume the kind that only  
Jamie wore. The long, midnight black hair sweeping over the track  
star's shoulder as she leaned over the second floor stairwell...

She flinched, screaming out as she felt the cheerleader fall over the  
railing. Her lean, firm body smashing into one of the tables.  
Splintering upon impact, the thick metal pole driving through her spine  
and chest. Screams of horror split through the night air as the vision  
faded, leaving her back in the Bronze, drawing stares from the young  
people dancing and drinking around her.

Bolting out the door, ignoring the questions from Oz and Buffy, her  
lungs heaved and her heart pounded against her ribs as her feet pumped  
against the sidewalk. Another young woman had been murdered before  
reaching adulthood, while she flirted and toyed with the emotions of a  
good friend. No more, she vowed. This thing had to be stopped, and  
from her talk with Giles, she knew the only way to stop it.

It had to die. And there was only one way to kill it.

The most difficult choice she had already made for her.

Oz raced after her, the distance between them growing with every block  
they ran. He knew where she was going, knew the direction, the path.  
She was headed for the ocean, but why? What happened back there?  
They'd been having a good time, getting to know each other even more  
deeply, happy in each other's company despite those harsh looks  
Willow's blonde friend kept shooting them. Then, without warning,  
Willow had freaked out and ran away, sobbing that someone else was dead and it was all her fault. Was she right about another death? How did she know? And how was she responsible?

The beach line came into view, and he sped up. No sight of the woman  
he was falling in love with. No sign of her at all. The water broke  
in front of him as he dived in, still clothed. His arms cut through  
the tide, his eyes desperately searching for his friend.

Blackness seeped around him, forcing him to feel out with his hands,  
diving deeper and further in. Forms appeared and disappeared around  
him, until he reached the bottom. Hands scraped against rocks,  
planets, against fish, cloth...

He dug his hands into the cotton-like material, his lungs screaming for  
air, he started towards the surface. Another pair of hands found his  
and helped take the load. He squinted in the water, noticing the  
blonde coloring as they emerged.

Buffy took Willow into her arms, crying her friend's name and checking  
for a pulse. The sharp intake of breath gave him his answer.

Ignoring the blonde, he grabbed Willow, and headed for the shore. His  
arms were never stronger as he lifted the body out of the water.

He kneeled by her body, tears streaming down his cheeks. As Buffy   
leaned over her body beginning CPR, he howled at the night sky. He  
couldn't lose her, not now. Oh please, not now. 


End file.
